Kamerad

A short war drama directed by Toby Kearton, written by Kearton and Kari Liljendal and starring Ryan Hayes, Benjamin Schnau and Dean Ridge.

Before describing the plot, just explaining that ''kamerad'' is a German word that can mean comrade or friend and it was also a cry for surrender by German soldiers during the First World War.

And this story does take place during this historical global conflict, the year is 1918 and the location is Marcoing France, at a battlefield, in a crater. Tandey (Hayes), a British soldier engages in a desperate hand-to-hand fight with a German soldier (Ridge). After Tandey kills him, another one (Schnau) appears, only this one is wounded. Tandey points his rifle at him, contemplating what to do.

What makes this short memorable in comparison to other war films is the revelation in the end. It is quite an astonishing moment and motivated the writer of this review to look it up. What the revelation is about will not be disclosed here, however, it should be pointed out that via a title card at the beginning, the film acknowledges that even though the story of based on true events, the event depicted in the film may or may not be true. Nevertheless, this short utilises this alleged occurrence to create a disclosure that leaves the viewer stunned. Whether it is true or not, it has quite an impact as it is an intriguing theory.

Looking at the technical side of things, the film looks great, experctly directed by Kearton, with superb cinematography by Lou Murrall. The mise-en-scene effectively brings the story to a WWI combat zone, with convincing weaponry and uniforms and the dramatic music adds to the atmosphere.

It is worth noting the presence of a butterfly. The butterfly appears just when a major decision is about to be made. The appearance of the butterfly is an obvious nod to the butterfly effect, a concept that theorises that actions can lead to unpredictable consequences of massive magnitude and that would be rather appropriate here.

Hayes plays a man who actually existed and fought during the World War Two, Henry James Tandey, who at age 27 was awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest award for gallantry in the presence of the enemy. Hayes portrays him as an experienced soldier who can do his duty in the war zone and has a strong understanding of morality.

Heavy drama, tension and suspense dominate this short story that deals with war, survival, mercy and morality. The revelation is evidently in regards to the notion that in war, no good deed goes unpunished.

This film deserves five stars because of the strong acting, the high quality of the filmmaking, the fact that it revolves around an alleged encounter of massive significance and because it pays homage to Henry James Tandey.